The Missile Defense Agency has awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) an $80.6 million fixed-price contract for modified ballistic re-entry vehicles and separation modules for missile defense tests. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will develop and produce unarmed re-entry vehicles for integration into target missiles through 2022. The contract also includes options for additional modified re-entry vehicles and mission support.

"The re-entry vehicle is essentially the bullseye for an interceptor missile, and it is also one of the most complex parts of the target," said Sarah Reeves, vice president of Missile Defense Programs at Lockheed Martin Space. "In today's environment, it's incredibly important to test against threat-representative targets that look like enemy missiles, and we are proud to continue to provide that capability to the Missile Defense Agency."

The modified re-entry vehicles will be designed and produced in Huntsville, Alabama, by a Lockheed Martin team with decades of experience with missile defense targets. Subcontractors include Huntsville companies Dynetics, Inc., which will provide the aeroshell structures, and Battelle, which will provide the hit detection system.

Instead of carrying warheads, modified ballistic re-entry vehicles carry sensors to measure the accuracy and effectiveness of the target, interceptor and missile defense system. Testing against a capable, threat-representative re-entry vehicle helps ensure the ballistic missile defense system is ready to detect and destroy enemy missiles.